Koh Rong Samloem Island

Koh Rong Samloem Island also called Koh Rong Sanloem; is today one of the top island to visit in Cambodia after Koh Rong Island (official website: kohrongislandcambodia.com), the largest island of Cambodia.

It has been recently named by Huffington Post like one of the place that you must visit!!!

Unknown for years, Koh Rong Samloem is now very popular thanks to also social network and with our travel guide 2019 we want give to our tourists a full guide and easy booking for accommodation, bungalows, rooms and guesthouse. The island is owned by the Cambodian navy, that has a base here. Continue to read our travel guide with all useful informations for when to go and where to stay and choose our best and cheap bungalows in Koh Rong Samloem!

Koh Rong Samloem could be compared to Thailand islands 30 years ago when many islands were still undeveloped. You can relax, enjoy the beauty of clear water and white sand with amazing beaches that Koh Rong can offer to lucky tourists; no traffic, no cars, no roads…this is amazing to hear in 2015 where most of tropical islands are full of tourists, resorts and cars!!! You will be lucky to visit Koh Samloem for your next holidays, before that it will become full of tousrim and the proposed golf courses and hotels will be build in the island.

Main beaches in Koh Rong Samloem are the Saracen Bay and Mpay Bay. The island offer the full year available for tourists being that many european holiday are from July to August, while other visitors can enjoy the favourite season from December to March.

Koh Rong Samloem is just 9 km long per 5 km wide and while someone can relax on beautiful beaches, someone else can enjoy a trekking into the jungle. You also can hire a boat for a trip around the island to have the best vision of all the untouched beaches of Samloem

Saracen Bay

Saracen Bay is absolute one of the best beach in Koh Rong Samloem, that sometime you see on travel catalogs, with absolute clear water and white sand. The beach is 3 Km long and where you can find more accommodation, but it is still not full of mass tourism! Saracen Bay is also the place of the main boat pier, link with Sihanoukville (here more information kohrongislandcambodia.com/sihanoukville/ )on mainland. From Saracen Bay anyway you can reach other beaches of Koh Rong. There is only one bar. Saracen Bay is the main boat stop from Sihanaukville; is the most developed beach and the common beach for day trip from the mainland or from Koh Rong.

Mpay Bay

Also Mpay Bay is served by boat departing from Sihanoukville on mainland; it offer cheap accommodation as bungalows, guest house, hotels and rooms for any pocket. Mpay Bay name, derived from the local fishing community called Village Number 23 that in Khmer language “M” pai Bei means 23. On this beach is based a volunteer ecotourism project so if you interested you can give your contribute to this project, so for example partecipate for a beach clean up.  Most accommodation are in the Village proper and the most not have direct access to the beach or at the end a sea view.

Other beaches

On the west side there are other beaches with yellow sand as Lazy Beach and Sunset beach where you also can find accommodation. To go to these 2 beaches you will walk through the jungle and are the perfet place for an amazing suset view!

BOOK ACCOMMODATION BUNGALOWS, HOTELS, GUESTHOUSE, ROOMS IN KOH RONG SAMLOEM

Activities

On Koh Samloen you can enjoy scuba diving, snorkeling and fishing; activities that are provided by locals or bungalows owner. This is an absolute site to do snorkeling. Other activities available on the island are trekking into the jungle, you can hire a mountain bike or try Kayaking…or…if you are lazy, jut relax!!!

Infact Koh Rong Samloem is well known for diving and snorkeling offered by The Dive Shop, Eco Sea, Coral Gardens Dive Centre; all of these operators you can find on the island or you can choose other operators from mainland like Scuba Nation. Being that the natural reefs soffered for not enough marine life, the Eco Sea operator created an artificial reef off to Mpay Bay village . Many places you can find in the island to hire snorkeling gear.

About the trekking, consider that the center of the island still conserve a great jungle so before the enviroment will be modift from future hotels and resorts, take the time to live the real and untouched jungle!!!

If you just looking for relax , the perfect place is the porch of aptly-named lazy Beach!

Full Moon Party

During Christmas and New Year you can enjoy the Koh Rong Full Moon Party that takes place on the Larger island of Koh Rong Island that is near to Koh Rong Sanloem Island. The full moon party takes place in Koh Rong at the Police Beach that is very near to boat pier on Tui Beach where many people arrive from Koh Sanloem,Koh Rong but also from Sihanoukville. If you like parties, this is absolute right for you!!!

As the island has slow style, internet do the same 🙂 Anyway the mobile coverage and internet are available but not everywhere in the island and as we told, the data transfer can be slow. Maybe is your opportunity to leave the mobile phone at home !!! You can buy a Metfone Sim card before to reach Sanloem Island that is very cheap and you cn have internet data and have betetr signal if you can’t live without your mobile phone! High speed internet are provided only at luxury resorts.

Getting there – How to go to Koh Rong Samloem (Sanloem) and Moving around

News: Speed boat to koh rong samloem available now!!! Take the fast boat from Sihanoukville – Serendipity Beach Pier

( To book speed ferry to islands, please select before “FERRY” on the  form below and than select from Sihanoukville to Koh Rong Samloem or other destinations, or contrary. Or use this form to book transfers in Cambodia)

SihanoukVille – Koh-Rong Samloem, Saracen bay 10$ 1 way takes 45 minutes

8:30 am, back 10:30 am

3:00 pm, back 3:30 pm

SihanoukVille – Koh-Rong Samloem, M’Pay Bay $10 for 1 way takes 1 hour

8:30 am, back 10:00 am

3:00 pm, back 3:30 pm.

From Sihanoukville you so have Ispeed or Speed Ferry that departing both from Serendipity pier. Both can bring you to Saracen Bay, the most tourist beach, while if you want go to Mpay Bay you need to take the Speed Ferry. Lazy Beach and Sunset Beach are served only by slow boats that is organized by relative Robinson Bungalows and Huba Huba. You also can use fast boats if you want go to the largest island Koh Rong

Moving around in the Island

Saracen Bay link to the Sunset Beach through jungle path, while an other shorter path link Saracen Bay to Lazy Beach. Consider that western beaches don’t have linked paths, so you’ll need a boat. 

If you need to go to the west side of Koh Rong Samloem, the only possibility is take slow boat from the mainland that are provided by hotels. Learn more: how to get to Koh Rong

WHERE IS KOH RONG SAMLOEM – MAP

Useful information

At now there aren’t ATM or banks as on the largest island Koh Rong. Also credit cards are not allowed so before to reach the island you must provide to withdraw cash on the mailand in Sihanoukville or where you are.

In the island you will not have electricity always during the day and the night, but only few hours per day as the electricity comes from generators and solar panels power.

Being Koh Rong Samloem an half desert island, so still undeveloped, you must consider that in the island or better into the jungle there are some inhabitants as monkeys, snakes, spiders, dogs, giant geckos and hornbills. So take care and for example if you want do trekking inside the jungle is recommended go before the sunset and is recommended bit with feet or with a stick during walking so snakes can go away from your path.

Anyway being an half desert island there are sand flies, there are on sand but you’ll not see them. Is common that can bit you, leave marks and cause irritation, so is recommended a strong repellant.

During peak season from December to March you absolute must book in advance your bungalow because it’s the most visited period.